Projection screen



y 12, 1932- E. WILDHABER 1,867,199

PROJECTION SCREEN Filed March 11, 1930 Patented July 12, 1932 ERNEST 'WHJJEABEB, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK PBOJMTION SCREEN Application fled Iarch 11, 1080. Serial 170. 484,983.

devise an improved projection screen which presents equal and undistorted pictures to p spectators disposed on a side of'the screen as well as to spectators disposed directly in front of the screen.

Another object of the invention is to devise a screen for effecting a panoramic sensation closel related to natural vision.

A f urther object is to devise a screen of the aforesaid character which is of light construction and of practical form.

A still other aim is to devise a concavely curved screen suited for suspension.

A further object is to devise a curved screen havin uniform grooves extending in one general irection.

Other objects will appear in the course of the specification and from recital of the appended claims.

In the accom anying drawing,

Fig. 1 is a iagram explanatory of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic lan view of a screen constructed in accordance with the present invention, and of its relation with a projection room.

Fi 3 is a front elevational view. correspon ing to Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a projection screen.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a referred form of screen surface, with the minute surface structure shown exaggerated.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial section along lines 6-6 of Fi 5.

In diagram l ig. 1, which is a plan view similar to Fig. .2, numeral 11 denotes a concave profile of a diffusin tion surface of a screen. rofile ll-is a circular are centered at point 12.

Profile 11 intersects center line 14 in apoint 17, and the elongation 11' shown in dotted lines intersects center line 14 in a further point 15. The radius of profile 11 is preferably so selected that point 15 is inside of the surface or projecprojection hall and that it constitutes amean point of the spectator area.

A spectator looking from point 15 to the diifusmg surface 11 will see a projected picture in certain angular proportions.

To point out some of the said angular proortions, rays are indicated between points 16, 16, 17, 18', 18 of screen profile 11 and point 15. A spectator disposed at point 15 sees the distance 16-16' under a certain angle 20, the distance 18-18' under an an le 21, and the distances 16-17 and 17-18 un er an les 22 and 23 respectively.

screen surface having a profile 11 as indicated presents the projected pictures in exactly the same angular proportions also to spectators disposed on the side of center line 14, for instance to a s ectator dis osed at point- 25, as will now be emonstrate Point 25 is assumed also on circle 11.

Rays are drawn, which connect point 25 with the aforesaid points 16, 16, 17, 18, 18.

It is a well known geometrical quality of the circle, that the angles between the rays drawn through any point (25) of its periphery to other points (16, 16 etc.) of its perifphery are exactly identical with the angles 0 the rays drawn through another point (15) of its periphery to the same points (16, 16 etc.). Accordingly the angles 20, 21, 22, 23 5 observed from point 25 are exactly equal to the corresponding angles observed from point 15. And so are all other corresponding angles. In other words a spectator disposed at point 25 sees a picture in the same manner, in exactly the same proportion as a spectator disposed at point 15. Any distance (16-16, or 16-17 etc.) appears under the same angle to said spectators.

For comparison the eflect of a plane or flat screen will now be considered. The straight profile of such a screen is indicated as a dotted line 26. Points 27, 28 are marked on line 26 at equal distances from central point 17. Equal distances 27-27' and 28- 28 are evidently observed under equal angles from point 15. Likewise distances 27-17 and 17-28 are observed under equal angles from point 15.

These conditions are altogether changed spherical surface,

when the rojected picture is viewed by a s ctator disposed at point 25. The nearer d i stances appear under larger angles. So the angle at which distance 2727' appears from point 25 is larger than the angle, at which distance 28-28 is observed. And the angle 27-2517 of distance 27l7 is larger than the angle 172528 of distance 1728. In other words the'picture presented bv a lane screen to a spectator on the side differs in relative proportions from the icturepresented to a central spectator. ThlS COIldltiOD is not remedied in other points disposed on the side. If the picture projected to a plane screen is viewed for instance from a point such as 30, it is seen with substantially the same distortion as from point 25.

Briefly, plane screens present distorted ictures to spectators disposed on the side. nd certain concavely curved screens succeed in eliminating said distortion, particularly when the general proportions here given and pointed out in the claims are observed.

Preferably projection is made in such manner that a most natural vision is observed from point 15. v

This may be accomplished when the proportion of the focal length of the picture camera divided by the length of the pictures taken is ual to the proportion of distance 15-17 divided by the length of the projection surface. I

The projection surface may be made a but for practical reasons lindrical surfaces are preferred. Prefer c a ly the projection surface is a cylindrical surfacehaving a horizontal plane vertical plane.

I do however not want to limit my invention to cylindrical surfaces nor to circular profiles.

In characterizing the shape of a projection surface or diffusion surface it is understood that the general shape is referred to, and not its minute aspect, unless the latter is specifically recited. The latter is so chosen as to furnish a most suitable difi'usion. Also I may employ screens consisting of several layers, if so desired, and still speak of'a diffusing surface.

Referring now to Figures 2-6, numeral 32 denotes a projection screen having a diflusing surface 33, inside of which the projected pictures appear. Difi'using surface 33 is a cylindrical surface having a circular profile 11 in a horizontal plane, and extending along straight lines in a vertical plane. Numeral 12 denotes the center of profile 11, and the axis of said cylindrical surface. Radius 35 of difl'using surface 33 is less than one half of the distance 36 between the screen center and the extreme spectator seats 37 of which the lastrow and the first row are indicated. In general the said extreme spectator seats concave circular profile in a and a straight profile in a one quarter and one third v The latter may be referred to as the curvature radius at the central cave rofile (11) of the difluslng surface, to inclu e profiles which depart from a circle on the sides.

Screen 32 is of light construction. Its form is maintained by a beam 43, which contains loops 44 secured to it, for suspending the screen unit. The center of gravity 45 of the screen unit is disposed between the tangential plane 46 at central point 17 and a plane 47 laid through the ends 39, 40 of the difi'using surface. If so desired weights 50 may be disposed at the lower end of'screen 32. The weights are preferably so disposed that they exert a uniform tension at all points of the screen proper. The latter maybe made of conventional materials and detail structure if so desired.

Screen 32 is raised slightly over the level of the orchestra, as is conventional practice.

Pictures are projected to screen 32 from a point disposed in front thereof. Preferably this point is disposed at a distance therefrom which exceeds radius 35 by at least twenty percent. For instance pictures may be projected from point 15, whose distance from the screen equals twice said radius.

preferred structure of the surface elements is pointed out in Fig. 5. The screen surface contains equal grooves of curved and uniform profile. Said grooves or corrugations extend all in one general direction, namel in the illustrated instance along the straig t. line elements of the cylindrical screen surface 33. The grooves are spacedin actuality at much finer distances from each other than indicated in Fig. 5. They are invlsible or almost invisible to spectators, and for this reason are omitted in the other figures.

The element containin surface 33 may be made of a sheet or sheet 0 of an aluminium alloy.

The grooves 55 in combination with the curvature of the general screen surface give an increased lighting efliciency, by confining diffusion laterally. to a predetermined range and by giving a more uniform diffusion inside of said range.

Difl'usion in' vertical. direction may be obtained by providln'g a system of still finer point (1:?) of the conmetal, for instance grooves 56 (see Fig. 6) which extend across grooves 55 in a general horizontal direction, that is to say parallel to the sides 57 of surface 33, and which are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5. Grooves 56 do not need to be as uniform as grooves 55, and may be made in the nature of scratches.

To prevent oxidation of the metal surface (33), the latter is protected with a thin coat of transparent material.

It is understood that the above description illustrates my invention by way of an example, and that it is not confined to this example. So for instance I may devise many other known or obvious ways of maintaining the shape of the projection surface. I

Various modifications may be made in my invention without departing from its spirit. For definition of its scope it is relied on the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A screen for moving picture theatres having a diffusing surface concavely curved at least in horizontal direction, the curvature radius at the center of a horizontal profile of said surface being less than one half and more than one quarter of the distance between the screen center and the extreme spectator seats, and the length and height of said difi'using surface having a proportion larger than one and a half to one, (1 1).

2. A screen for moving picture theatres having a diffusing surface concavely curved in a horizontal plane and straight in a vertical plane, the curvature radius at the center of a horizontal profile of said surface being less than one half and more than one quarter of the distance between the screen center and the extreme spectator seats, and the length and height of said difiusing surface having a proportion larger than one and a half to one, (1 1).

3. A screen for moving picture theatres having a diifusing surface of concave cylin-' drical form, a horizontal profile of said surface being substantially circular and having a radius between one half and one quarter of the distance between the screen center and the extreme spectator seats.

4. A projection screen of concave and substantially cylindrical shape, containing wave like corrugations of curved and constant profile, said corrugations extending in one general direction, and their elemental portions being fully reflective like portions of a mirror.

5. A projection screen of concave and substantially cylindrical shape, containing wave like corrugations of curved profile, said corrugations extending in a general direction parall l to the straight line elements of said taining a system of wave like corrugations exc lindrical shape, and their elemental portions being fully reflective like portions of a least in horizontal direction, con-- 

